Intriguing Detail Revealed about the Dawn Treader Storyline

In a recent interview with Examiner’s Carla Hay, Ben Barnes dropped a very intriguing tidbit about the overall The Voyage of the Dawn Treader storyline.

Let’s talk about the “Dawn Treader” movie. I know you can’t reveal any spoilers, but what’s in the movie that’s different from the book?

Barnes: They’ve stolen a couple of ideas from some of the later [“Chronicles of Narnia”] books. [It’s] a very difficult book to adapt, because it’s very episodic. It’s chapter by chapter. They go on the voyage, they go to one island, a bit more voyage, another island, a bit more voyage, another island. It’s very satisfying to read; every chapter by chapter, it’s very exciting. But it has no real through line. And so they have to kind of steal other elements to sew it all together. I think they’ve done it in a really clever, unobtrusive way.

Could this perhaps have something to do with the “unfathomable fate” we’ve heard about in the production’s written movie synopsis? It certainly seems like a strong possibility, but until we get more information, let the speculation begin!

Thanks to JadistarkilleR for the heads-up!

230 Comments For This Story

My hope is that just because they are "stealing elements" from some other books doesn’t mean they’ll have an excuse to not make those books into their own films…
It is really hard to tell anything specific from what Ben said. We’ll just have to wait and see. My main concern is that they keep the ending the same (Aslan’s "I have another name" conversation).
And I do hope that the "stolen elements" are just that – small elements – not major plots or storylines from the other books. Then it’d be just like combining two books, and VDT has plenty of material as it is!

That’s because we’re all such Narnia nuts that we can’t stop talking about it…we have to pick apart and analyze every little thing that any of the movie-makers say about the plot or storyline! (We just have nothing better to do). 😉

I also agree with Fire Fly.
The reason I think the Narnia books, tapes and now movies are such great fun is because I think there is a connection between the people of Narnia and Christions and a connection between Aslan and Jesus.

i heard they are going to ruin the movie. They will follow a blue star to the end of the earth.
The green witch will show up somehow and the 7 lords will take the knife to ramandu’s island. ramandu’s daughter will be the blue star. they will also have a battle in the lone islands and will bring a mermaid out of the water instead of lucy staring at it. its going to be a mess. LWW was good, PC so so, VDT ?! i hope they stick to the true narnia not this tashlan garbage. Long Live the Real Aslan. I’m going to live like a narnian, even if there is no NARNIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

$420 million between Iron Man and Indiana Jones and being ranked the 10th highest grossing film worldwide in 2008 hardly equates bombing. Disappointing or less than expected? Probably. But bombing? I wouldn’t think so.

Magician’s Nephew and the Last Battle are my two favorites. I hope they get a good composer for the creation scene, and I hope they do the creation and the end of Narnia RIGHT!! Those are my two favorite scenes in the entire chronicles!!!!

what was wrong with Ben’s accent? it wasnt supposed to be Spanish or Italian or Mexican or South Amercan, it was supposed to be Telmarine, which the production team decided that it would be a blur of all these Hispanic-type accents but would still be understandably English. they were going for the Hispanic LILT and not a full blown, hard accent.

that was part of the reason why it was so difficult to cast Prince Caspian in the first place. so many Hispanic young actors and very few of them could be speak intelligible English. in ticks me off a bit that Ben gets the brunt of the accent criticism but if you listen to the rest of the Telmarine actors they sound just like him.

There is probably a connection in The name of Aslan. In the very end of the VOD book, Aslan mentions to Edmund, Lucy and Eustus that he has another name here in our world. I wonder if Lewis put in Jesus’ name indirectly.

I don’t know if anyone saw the article on aslanscountry.com that what Ben Barnes is referring to might have to do with the leaked script — in which they sail on to save the lost souls of Narnia from the Green Witch!

OMG! If they did that I would be so mad. I think most fans were very gracious and tried not to freak out too much about the changes made in PC but the filmmakers are treading on thin ice right now. That isn’t even in any of the books. It would be absolutely horrible! Please Walden Media if you Can hear me, DON’T DO IT!!!!!!!

I think, from what I’ve read of the comments here, most of us really just want to see a movie that’s true to the spirit of the book, but also we all have our favorite moments that we’d like to see happen on film. Of course, on the second point, some of us will be dissapointed in the theater. It’s bound to happen.

Staying true to the themes and spirit of the story, though, is the key to it’s "marketability", in my opinion. Those are the things that make the books such a durable classic that many of us are now reading them to our children and grandchildren (at least, I hope I’m not the only one here old enough to say that…). I’ve always been puzzled by what seems to me to be a prevailing attitude on the part of some filmmakers, that in order for a classic work to be marketable, it has to be "updated" or "faster paced" or otherwise changed so that it’s no longer the same story in its essence. When those kinds of changes alter the mood or the themes of the story, it strangles the very thing that made it loveable enough to have a market in the first place. Of course, sometimes it creates a whole new market for the new product that they’ve created. It doesn’t seem to me that the CofN films so far have been in that category, though.

I can live with and even admire all sorts of changes on film to a beloved story, if those changes end up serving the spirit of the book. I know how difficult it can be to rewrite a story in a different format (such as turning a short short story into a novella, for instance) and keep it the same story. If the writers and director can "prove" to me that their change supports the original intent of the story in a new way, then I’m willing to nod and say "ok".

As one example, I was just saddened when Peter started behaving so rashly and enviously in PC. That isn’t the Peter I know from the books. But then, I realized in a way it still was. Peter loves Narnia and the Narnians in the "old king" manner, in that he would give his life in their service and defense (think about what King Lune tells Shasta about the nature of kingship: Peter is the ultimate of that) He comes back to Narnia to find that the Telmarines have conquered and destroyed much of "his" land and people (creatures). It must be somewhat like a mom coming home to find that the babysitter has abused her kids. Peter feels guilt and rage and a driving need to make it right. In the book, this is only subtly hinted at. There is no real internal conflict explored, certainly there isn’t any conflict with Caspian, and I was disturbed by the fact that there is in the film. But, I can see why the filmmakers felt that those elements strengthened the story of Peter as the kind of king he is in the books. It does become all the more satisfying when he hazards his own body for the sake of buying them some time (the duel).

I may not have written him that way myself if given the chance. I like him to be someone who pretty much always does the right thing. But, I see how their way still tells the story of the King Peter in the books, just with a character journey to add dimension.

My hat is off to the team that created the first two films for a difficult job well done, though I understand why not everyone here agrees with that view of things.

And I understand if you all want to kick me off this site for being too longwinded. Sheesh!

It always confuses me when people focus on Peter’s internal conflict as being out of character when towards the end of the movie he comes around to being a great king again. Did everyone forget the last half of the movie? Too many people are quick to dismiss that he had a character growth arc in the movie, something from which he learned, and that to me makes Peter not only a good king but also a realistic person. He makes mistakes, he has flaws, but in the end of PC we learn that he can rise up from that. Some people may argue that that’s unnecessary, not only because it’s not in the book but also because that makes Peter not perfect. He is a Son of Adam though and by Aslan’s own words that’s enough to humble the greatest emperor or raise the head of the lowest peasant. That message came out strongly to me in PC and Peter is an example. Caspian sparing Miraz is one of my most favorite scenes in the movie, proving that good kings are not born, they are made. It may not have been in the book but I can see it being a related theme.

aunt letty, I read your comment and I fully agree with you.
The things Peter had to deal with both physicaly and mentally are emotions and concepts hard to write into a story or put on a screen….and yet they did.

Amen! Aunt Letty, I’m so glad to see that some people are willing to see both sides of the story. It frustrates me when people are closed-minded and bash on the movie-makers for not following the book exactly. I was a little disappointed with the way Peter behaves in PC at first, but as I kept an open mind and thought about the reasoning behind, I came to the same conclusions as you did, although I couldn’t have said it any better than you did. I like how the Pevensies show more feeling for Narnia, for the way of life they had been used to for fifteen years. I always wondered what it was like for them to go back, and how hard it would be to go from Kings and Queens to schoolboys and schoolgirls, and what it was like for them to come back and find Narnia in a total mess and the Narnia they knew long since dead and gone. I think C. S. Lewis focused more on the events than the characters themselves, leaving room for us readers to imagine what it was like. I think the movie-makers captured those feelings very well in PC, especially with Susan and Peter, and how they eventually came to accept that they wouldn’t be coming back. As tenthofthatname pointed out, Peter very much acted like the High King during the second half of the movie. I also applaud Andrew Adamson and the others for a job well done. Let’s hope Michael Apted does just as well or even better than Andrew Adamson did in capturing the theme of VDT.

This is one of the reasons I love the movies so much. Aside from breathtaking visuals, the movies explore parts of the story the books simply didn’t cover or handwaved. The character portrayals are richer in my opinion (with the exception of Aslan) and I like what the films have done so far. Looking forward to Edmund shining in VDT, and more King Caspian of course.

About Peter — fascinating. I’m not sure I thought about it in quite that light before. I think I can see what you all are saying about it strengthening him in the end. I find that I like the movie when it is not compared to the book, because it is very exciting, but when I compare it to the book it saddens me.

Here’s what I have always thought:
It always seemed to me as if Peter was acting immature. Considering the very fact that he HAD been a High King, shouldn’t he have been too mature to react so violently to being shoved? (Well, to use his words, it was "when they tried to make me apologize.") Shouldn’t he have known what would be wiser to do in the situation? Yeah, I know he’s not perfect. But as the street patrol person said, "And you! At your age!" Did Peter’s first trip to Narnia really help him at all?

And what possessed Peter to say what he did before the night raid? "I think we have waited for Aslan long enough."

I do think the Peter/Caspian conflict is interesting. If the movie hadn’t been so changed in the first place, I might not have disliked it so much. (Because it seems to make sense and would make a good dramatization element.)

If the extended time in England was missing from the movie we now see, does it really add much to the overall story? Would we really miss it if it had never been there and we had never known it could have existed? I suppose some people MIGHT have said, "I wish the filmmakers had elaborated on England." But would it really have made such a big deal to them that they would have given PC negative reviews?

Aunt Letty, or anyone else, what are your thoughts on any part of this? I’m basically just wondering about your take on my opinion.

I’m not Aunt Letty, but I just had to put in my two cents worth. I think you make a very good point. In fact, those were my initial thoughts as well. I felt that they were trying to make the kids grow up all over again, even though they had already had fifteen years to do so. It especially bothered me that Peter was trying to be the one in charge, when in the book he tells Caspian, "I haven’t come to take your place, you know, but to put you in it."

On the other hand, in the movie-makers defense, I think they did a very good job. They did need to add some emotional struggle to the movie to make it more engaging and interesting. They also did a very good job capturing Peter’s reluctance to let go of what was once his kingdom, and how he has to deal with the fact that it’s in trouble again. Like you said, Princess Arya, the movie itself is a masterpiece, but compared to the book, it’s got a few a problems. (I was also very disappointed with Trumpkin meeting Aslan. I sooo would have loved to see Aslan pick Trumpkin up in his jaws and shake him like a rag doll. But I guess that’s very difficult cinematically….oh, well). All in all, it’s a very good movie–it’s just missing a few elements from the book that made the book so beautiful.

Thanks for sharing! I’m interested in anyone’s opinions on this, really. I think I understand. I’ve been working on trying to be a little more understanding to them about it. About Trumpkin, hehe, I think they should have put it in CGI if nothing else! 😀

Sorry, I hadn’t realized that these older discussion threads were still active. I appreciated what you said about Peter’s reaction to being shoved. That really bugged me the first time I saw the film, for the same reasons you cited. I thought he should have been above such prideful posturing. Especially since he says a few minutes later, "Well, I wasn’t always" ( a kid). I guess maybe they thought it a good way to demonstrate just how unnerved and on edge he is over his situation. It must be devastating to go from being the High King, responsible for the well being of an entire "people" (ahem.) to being a teenager with little to no control over even his own life. I love these stories, and of course they’re not supposed to be realistic, but honestly, I’ve often thought that after all the back and forth these kids have experienced, they ought to be completely barking.

I’m not sure I like stealing, but as long as it is from the other books, I can’t imagine it could be all that bad, could it? Unless they took something which would make a movie of that other book, (whichever it may be)not work, then I would be quite put out! 🙂

I very much like the changes they made to Prince Caspian except for a few. The Peter/Caspian conflict was a little annoying and the Caspian/Susan thing a little silly. But seriously if you think about it, in real life an older teenage boy might have trouble with being jealous and a teenage girl might have a crush on a handsome prince on a horse. So I think the studio was just trying to make it a little more realistic. And seriously looking at the Peter & Miraz fight in a boxing ring style as in the book, that would have been boring. And think of all the lengthy explaination some character in would have to come up with about the wine god on the donkey, and the boy and his wild girls that are in the book. That seriously would have just been a little weird, so I’m glad they took that out. I glad for some changes to the VDT plot, it will make it fresh and new. After all word for word might not work well on screen.

I really disliked the duel in PC. I mean it was one of the things in the book that i thought was very exciting. Here is High King Peter fighting for his country in a one on one duel against the Usurper Miraz. It wasn’t good enough in the film. They hardly even used their swords. It was mostly just them swinging wildly at each other or ramming their shields at each other or swinging their feet around wildly. It didn’t seem like two people who really knew how to use a sword.

I mean think of the great duels in films: Hector verses Achilles in Troy, Anakin verses Obi-wan in Star Wars, Westly verses Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. If anything, for me, the small duels in PC were both better with Edmund and the DLF and Peter and Caspian and then the big duel between Peter and Miraz which was, for me, so disappointing.

Unlike those other duels in film history, I was actually convinced that Peter and Miraz were trying to kill each other. It may be due to the fact that William and Sergio did their own stunts for that fight. And the choreography was also quite fitting for broadsword/cut and thrust and a shieldplay. They used everything at their disposal from the rocks in the arena to causing injury by disarming. And of course, my favorite part, Peter punching Miraz’s leg wound with the gauntleted fist. I consider those other duels to be dances; well choreographed steps but otherwise not really the way an actual fight would go. To Achilles’ credit, in his case that may be because he was convinced from start to finish that he could kill Hector.

All film duels look like choreographed steps too me even the one in PC. I just really felt like Peter didn’t even know how to use a sword which i dislike. I almost felt like he was just swinging it around wildly. I don’t think that felt real to me at all. I also think i disagree that it looked like they were trying to kill each other because they were just wildly swinging their swords and not even trying to get under each others guard or anything. It was more like they were trying to beat each other up and the cheesy moment when Peter stabbed Miraz and then he ended up not even being hurt.

I also completely disagree that Hector and Achilles or Anakin and Obi-wan didn’t look like they were trying to kill each other. For me, both of those duels are much more hardcore then the one in PC and i know for a fact that the two that played Anakin and Obi-wan did their own stunts and it was them fighting in Star Wars 3. I am not positive about Troy, but i remember a behind the scenes where the two actors were talking about the fight. I would have to look at that again.

I do agree that Westly and Inigo Montoya didn’t look like they were trying to kill each other, but it was still great sword play and that film in general is trying to be funny and not a hardcore fighting film. I think it is because i enjoy sword play and not just trying to beat each other to death. In a one on one duel i think there would be more sword play then just hacking at each other.

The low point of the duel, for me, was the slow motion. It took away from the fast paced action of the scene.

Which stab? Do you mean the very last one? I think Peter’s disarming Miraz then turning to stab him with his own sword was a tribute to the duel in the book, where Peter draws first blood by stabbing an open area in Miraz’s hauberk, his armpit if I recall correctly.

You’re right that both the Star Wars and Troy duels were performed by the actors themselves which is always a plus to me, but I feel like the SW and Troy duels were not to the death. I can excuse Achilles because well, he’s Achilles, he isn’t supposed to show fear or weakness. I think the fight between Achilles and Hector was much more in line with the fight between Jadis and Peter. Achilles and Jadis both fought with an obvious notion they were going to win. Peter fought like Hector, much more hack and slash than the fluid predator-like motions of Jadis and Achilles. In both cases, Hector and Peter were doomed from the start which I think is both in character and definitely canon. For Peter and Miraz however, I don’t think Miraz was ever supposed to come off anywhere near as predatory as Jadis, yet I found their fight to be more realistic and rough because people actually got hurt in it, or rather they managed to land their blows as opposed to dancing around each other and stalemating. It’s a medieval sword fight, that’s how it’s done in the SCA, and I’m of the opinion hack and slash is completely Peter’s style. I loved that after the respite, Peter aimed his sword straight for Miraz’s face!

You are right though that the duel was lacking in primary focus on sword-to-sword involvement but I think that’s the way it was supposed to be. I totally agree with you about the slow motion. I felt like the slow motion came out of nowhere in the middle of the scene. It interrupted the pacing of the fight.

I think that the duel was very well done. Obviously this is a matter of opinion, but Andrew Adamson did say that he wanted to make it "different from other duels we’ve seen" and he didn’t want it to be a repeat of the Jadis/Peter fight (I’m paraphrasing, so don’t hold it against me). I admit that I’ve got to agree that some fights do end up looking too well choreographed, but, on the other hand, the Westley/Inigo Montoya duel felt more real because it was so choreographed, but that was because it was a fight between two men who had spent years studying the art of fencing. I haven’t seen the other two example fights, so I can’t give my opinion on those. With Peter and Miraz, I think it was very well done. It would have been nice to see a little bit more swordcraft, but I really like that it ends up being more of a desperate struggle to win. It felt all the more real to me, more like death was on the line, than if it had been simply choreographed swordplay. It seems more realistic to me that they might lose grip on their swords and not have time to fetch them, and therefore have to defend themselves or attack with what they’ve got. I especially liked the use of the sheild as a weapon. I thought that was very creative and very realistic.

I think the duel felt like two people who didn’t know how to use a sword and i think that both Peter and Miraz were people who would have known how to use a sword. I was extremely disappointed. PC is one of my favorite books and the duel is very exciting in the book and it just wasn’t, for me, in the film.

What is your favorite moment in Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the one that you most want to see happen on film?

I think, for me it would be that moment when Bern and Drinian throw Gumpas’ table over and put Caspian in his place. I loved that as a kid and I still love it. Its the sort of thing that never works in real life but is so satisfying on the page.

Well, I think that I really like the part where Eustace meets Aslan while he is still a dragon and he has to shed his scales. The best part is when Aslan has to thoroughly cleanse him. *sigh* That is probably my favorite part. 😀

I absolutely agree narniafan4ever. It is such a beautiful symbolism of how on our own we will never be able to be completely clean; we must allow Jesus to cleanse us. It is truly one of Lewis’ best and most powerful allegories.

No, sorry, what I meant was that I don’t see it as something that will translate successfully to film. Possibly it will be in the film, I just don’t expect to find it satisfying, based on how some similar key moments went down in the previous films. Maybe that’s just me trying to lower my expectations so as not to be dissapointed.

I think that if they don’t do this scene it won’t be because they can’t translate it well onto film, but because it is almost too strong of an allegory. I could see that scene making Hollywood uncomfortable. Bu they did it in the BBC version and even thought it wasn’t "high-tech" so to speak it was still powerful. That scene aside, I really don’t want them to mess up the Death Water Island scene, or the mermaid people scene. But we’ll see what they will do..

Narniafan: I agree that it is a very lame excuse but it’s so Hollywood. They don’t like things that suggest they can’t do it on their own. They don’t like the idea that they need someone greater, higher, more powerful than themselves to survive. Hence, they tend to ignore those sorts of things. Sad but true. God makes them uncomfortable.

I love that scene, narniafan4ever. I love the symbolism it shows. However, I have a horrible inkling it will never make it into the movie. Think of PC: Aslan was in maybe 5 minutes of it total. The entire scene with him and the girls traveling around Narnia in a joyous company was cut. *sigh* Maybe, just maybe, this new director will set things right.

I don’t think they’ll potentially cut this scene because it might make Hollywood uncomfortable. I can, however, see them cutting it down so it fits Walden Media’s "G and PG" only standard. This was my favorite scene as well, but I can see it becoming a little graphic (I hope not). Hopefully they’ll find a way to keep it so it has the same impact and keeps the movie within Walden Media’s standards. By the way, Aunt Letty, I also love that scene when they overthrow Governor Gumpas. That was probably one of my favorite scenes from the BBC series (then again, I haven’t seen the whole thing). I also hope they do the sunrise with Ramandu and the birds right. I love that part, and can see it either becoming a beautiful, moving scene, or a total flop. I also can’t wait to see the end of the World. Lewis’s description painted such a vivid picture in my mind, and I can’t wait to see what the movie-makers do with it!

oh, yes, I’d forgotten that part. Another bit that I think has strong potential for film is the scene where Lucy is reading her own "life" in the magician’s book. That one could translate well onto film, I expect.

I love the whole story but my absolute favourite moments would be the beautiful music at the end of the world that Edmund and Eustace would never talk about afterwards and Lucy would only say "It would break your heart", why said I (The author) is it so sad". "Sad, no!!!" replied Lucy. I love the moment when they hear the music, it gives me little shivers every time I read it. My other favourite moment is when they drink the water and find it sweet. Then the sun gets bigger each day and they can’t eat or sleep and all that sustains them is the drinkable light. It’s so beautiful, I love thinking about it! I hope it comes across in the movie but I have no expectations of it.

On NarniaFans.com, some people are talking about the possibility that the Green Witch will be in VDT. She’ll be trying to steal the souls of children, but Caspian will foil her plot. In revenge, she kills his wife in SC. What do all of you think about this? I don’t really like it myself, but I wanted to know what some of your thoughts on it are.

Yes, I heard about that. It was hinted in one of the articles on aslanscountry.com. I don’t like the idea because it sounds SOO creepy and I don’t think there’s anything in VDT to even HINT at such a thing.

On one hand, I think it would be interesting to see the Witch’s plan more than ten years in the making. But on the other hand, I think this "Witch" stuff is getting overused by the filmmakers if it turns out to be the case.

The conclusion I make (I won’t say "my point" because somebody hinted I overuse it) is that I really don’t like it. VDT isn’t meant to be creepy, like SC and LB are. I like added elements to a story (in some cases anyway) to make it more interesting but…not this. I don’t even see how it would fit in to finding the seven lords anyway.

huh. Does anyone have any idea as to the veracity of that rumor? There is so much to work with in the original story, so many directions they can go with it, without inventing like that. I hope it’s not true.

I just thought of another moment in the story that will be even better on film; the part where the painting comes to life and they fall through. I love the way it reads and I’d love to see it onscreen.

Quit doing this to me, Aunt Letty! It makes 422 days seem like a lifetime!!! You make a good point, though. All of these scenes could translate beautifully to the screen. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with them.

Sounds a bit too Child Thief for me… I’m hoping if the LotGK is involved her part will be more of a supporting role, something mysterious that implies villainy but not clear cut on screen nor the main point of the movie. Hinting at the Silver Chair by setting up a reason for her revenge is more preferable to me, that way when they do make the SC film people unfamiliar with the books can view it then recall what he’d done in VDT that to LotGK warranted horrific revenge.

Now where did THAT come from? That sounds like one of those FanFics made by a fan that doesn’t get enough from the original stories and has to make up some crazy, embellished story to satisfy their thirst for more. Seriously, the Green Witch stealing the souls of children?? That sounds so….so…cliche. I thought the whole point of Narnia was to avoid the cliche (okay, maybe not the WHOLE point, but C.S. Lewis hated cliches)! And since when was she called the Green Witch? The Lady of the Green Kirtle sounds so much more refined, and therefore so much more evil. In my opinion, the whole point of the Lady of the Green Kirtle was to show that evil can be very beautiful and appealing. They better not "Hollywood-ize" her and make her into a cackling, ugly hag. That would ruin everything! I don’t mind her being in VDT so much, as long as they don’t completely screw up the plot and her character. Like this idea of her stealing souls of children…..eww.

I don’t think they would make the LotGK to be a hag of a witch. When they made LWW they specifically wanted to avoid villainous cliche for Jadis. They didn’t want a shrieking cackling witch, they wanted a fearsome, ambitious, and cold woman. I think they succeeded there, and knowing LotGk is of the same ‘stock’ as Jadis, I feel they would take a similar approach.

i heard they are going to ruin the movie. They will follow a blue star to the end of the earth.
The green witch will show up somehow and the 7 lords will take the knife to ramandu’s island. ramandu’s daughter will be the blue star. they will also have a battle in the lone islands and will bring a mermaid out of the water instead of lucy staring at it. its going to be a mess. LWW was good, PC so so, VDT ?! i hope they stick to the true narnia not this tashlan garbage. Long Live the Real Aslan. I’m going to live like a narnian, even if there is no NARNIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

tableknight, are you getting this plot thingy from the script that leaked a while ago? I think I remember reading about something along the lines of what you’re saying..but we were told to disregard that so hopefully things will turn out all right and faithful to the book! Yay, long live Aslan!!

yeah, I think it was from the leaked script. I know that the leaked script was supposed to be scratched, but it sounded a little like Ben Barnes description. And they did change it so that trumpkiin and cornelius aren’t included but they still could have kept some of the other stuff. what scares me is that they even considered it in the first place. maybe they want us to disregard it because they dont want us to know

I hope they don’t change it too much. I know they have to add to it a bit to make it into a watchable movie but when they add so much new stuff and leave out major things like never even mentioning the Emperor beyond the sea I get realy cross!

This is so sad…I used to look forward to having a new piece of news from Cleveland Point or something EVERYDAY. New pictures, trivia, videos, etc. sniff, sniff… Now it’s been more than a week with no news coming our way. Oh well, at least we know filming’s still going on, even if we don’t know exactly what they’re shooting everyday like we did a few weeks ago. Now the comments section has become a total open forum 🙂 which is fun too. And kudos to the people who are always contributing to and posting the articles so that everybody can keep up with the news.

"Tavros" is Greek for minotaur and Lewis never had a problem including a few Greek myths, so that’s fine with me! But I am one of those people who is more than happy to see a few more Narnians on the Dawn Treader. Just as long as Tavros isn’t the people-eating kind of minotaur.

Well, C.S.Lewis was a Major in Greek Mythology before he became a Christian, so all the different creatures are a little of that previous training coming through his books, even after he became a Christian. 😀

yeah now that I look at this again I remember coming across it before and going WHAT??!!! when i read it because it was so out there and convoluted/strange. I know what you mean by how scary it is that they even thought of this stuff in the first place; but, again, we can only hope for the best and be patient and pray that VDT has a clear message that reflects CS Lewis’s original intent like LWW did.

Geez! That was the craziest thing I’ve read in a long time. What would possess the screenwriters to think any of those changes would be good? Here’s to hoping that they have realized the error of their ways and returned to the original plot…

uhh folks, if that review from LV is about the same one i have… i dont think its the movies script, defunct or otherwise. going through it its much like whats called "casting sides", which doesnt necessarily mean they’re from from the actual script. casting sides live up to their name– they’re for casting, to be given to actors auditioning for roles. and it looks to be that the one that made the rounds are casting sides for the secondary characters (Bern, Drinian, Stargirl, Uncle Harold et al). depending on how fastidious they are with security they could have a completely made up casting side that bears no resemblance to the actual script, or that they are simply cut and paste extracts from one of the permutations of the real script.

Whether this script was a hoax or not (which, hopefully, it was) we know from Cleveland Point that this script is missing a lot of what they’re filming right now. For example, it doesn’t mention anything about the MLG, Edmund and Caspian sparring, Edmund being in a dungeon, or Edmund being the best big brother in the world ^^(besides towards the end of the "script" where he’s really protective, that’s not what we saw being filmed). Plus, Cornelius and Trumpkin aren’t going to be in on the voyage. So we can probably safely assume that they’ve thrown out most if not all of whatever nonsense they originally had, if they had it at all. hopefully.

Long Live King Skandar — I think you’re probably about right. If it eases anyone, I think the filmmakers said they were really sorry about any concerns the leaked script might have caused, and that the script was a very early draft. It’s probably been changed quite a bit since then (I should know because I write quite a bit; my stories seem to morph!), and since it says nothing about the various things you mentioned, I think what you’re saying is very reasonable.

I think a dragon landing on the mast is generic enough to be excusable, at least it’s only a point of action and not a dramatic alteration of the plot. I am really hoping they don’t have Lucy using Coriakin’s spell for her crush on Caspian. It’s bothersome to me not because it isn’t in the book but because too many other films and shows made available to a young audience already shift the female protagonist’s focus onto romantic drama (or in this case puppy love).

And it’s plain stupid. Book canon aside, what does everyone think of first the oldest sister Susan getting a crush on the new Narnian king and then the younger sister getting a crush on him, and THEN finally Ramda comes along? C’mon, something sounds weird to me!

Princess Arya,
when I saw that whole nonsense about Lucy and Caspian I, literally, screamed into my hands. Not only does it totally RUIN the whole voyage of discovery and adventure, it is DISGUSTING. What would Lucy say to Susan? What would Lucy say to Ramda? etc. I can’t believe they may have even THOUGHT of that… maybe when Caspian’s like 3 years older than Lucy like in the book and without the Susan factor from PC but not with PC’s story and especially when he’s TWICE as old as Lucy is…CREEPY. Even if Caspian WAS younger, I (and I’m sure many other people)am still against it because I know CS Lewis wouldn’t approve. And I don’t either. telling myself to breathe right now…

*coughs, chokes, would have spat out drink if had been drinking something*
Ick!! That’s so…so…cliche! How else can I say it? Dramatized? No, that’s too nice…"Hollywood-ized"? It just…*shudders*…it’s just wrong!!
Good thing they have come out and said that the leaked script was not meant to be seen and that we shouldn’t be concerned…it makes me feel a little bit better! That whole thing was absolutely…ridiculous! Preposterous! …….gaahh!!!

I think that whoever wrote the summary was in a state of confusion themselves so it came across rather higglety-pigglety. I never read the original leaked script but if that was what it was like……I’m PLEASED I DIDN’T! Aside from majors, the minor details of that summary seemed to sit along with the news of filming. We already know there is a scene with Eustace Dragon landing on the ship and that Lucy wields a sword. The unsettling parts are the fact that Aslan himself is never mentioned, and the rubbish about the knife and the blue star is somewhat disquieting. Also why would Edmund be annoyed that his father is coming back to England and he isn’t there to welcome him, however long you spend in Narnia, you always get back at the exact same moment you left our world!!!! That didn’t make any sense at all.

i know this is really random, but in one of the narnia audio dramas, doug gresham mentioned that cs lewis had ideas for more narnia books, do any of you know what these ideas were, i wish i knew, just to give me an idea what an eighth narnia book would have been like.

I’m about clueless about that! 🙂 I would have a few guesses that perhaps it might be about one of the various few instances in the books when Lewis says something like, "If I ever find out how the Lone Islands came under the crown of Narnia and if the story is at all interesting I may put it in another story." Or else perhaps something about Susan? Really hard to guess!

You know everybody’s in a bad mood now so maybe we should turn the topic of discussion to a happier one. People were talking about this before, but I’m curious to find out more people’s opinions: Which scene in VDT is your favorite? I think for me it’s the scene where Eustace comes back after being de-dragonized 🙂 and has a long talk with Edmund. It’s really subtle but it shows how much Eustace has come around and how much Narnia has changed Edmund for good, for the better. Plus, Edmund admits "you were only an ass but I was a traitor" and it shows how humble Edmund is and how he really wants to help his cousin get back on track. Also it’s one of the first times in the book that readers truly like Eustace for being the good kid he becomes.

LOVE that scene. But then again, I also love the "un-dragoning" of Eustace, Lucy and the Albatross (Aslan), Lucy and the magician’s book, the Sunrise with Ramandu and the birds, the mermaids, and the end of the world with Aslan! Great scenes…hope they do a magnificent job!

I love the books and movies. But since 20th Century Fox is doing it. It will be screwed up. Look at Eragon, Fantastic Four, and X-men Origins: Wolverine. I’m still going to c it but it will be screwed up.

Not so fast…
Don’t forget that Walden Media is doing it as well, and they are very good at staying true to the overall spirit of the books they make their movies out of. Be a little more optimistic! Besides, aren’t the people from Walden Media more in charge anyway? I thought they were only letting another company help due to financing and all that.

I haven’t read the other books, but i can think of films that i think are bad such as: The Seeker, The Water Horse, Nim’s Island, and Eragon though to be honest i have no emotional connection to those films.

Prince Caspian is one of my favorite Narnia books and i read it for the first time in second grade and i think they did not do it justice. The Chronicles of Narnia are what we are discussing here and since they did such a poor job with Prince Caspian stating that Walden being involved means we should be optimistic about Voyage of the Dawn Treader is not comforting.

Okay. I was just curious as to what movies they have filmed. So do we have a good reason to be nervous? 🙂
And, I think they did do Prince Caspian a justice, but just barely. I think they could have done without a lot of the nonsense such as the Caspian/Susan romance, the horrible attitude of Peter, etc. Just my opinion, though.

Either way, it’s on my list of Things to Look Forward To. How nice to know that whatever happens in the next year or so, I can look forward to enjoying this movie. And I do expect to enjoy it. I thoroughly enjoyed the other two, despite them not being "perfect".

Come to think of it, just based on what I’ve read here, they’d have to make some half-dozen versions just to please each of us perfectly, right?

Aunt Letty, I must say it’s very refreshing to find a true Narnia fan (one who is interested in the books and the spiritual nature of them, rather than being a fan of the movies simply because they’re "cool") who’s so optimistic about the movies. I completely understand the aggravation everyone must feel because the movies aren’t done exactly the way we think they should be done, but I have tried very hard to keep an open mind. I think you can like the movies and still be a true fan of Narnia. 😀 Besides, as you said, we all have so many different ideas of what Narnia is "really" supposed to be like, and therefore we’ll never all be completely satisfied with the way they make the movies. I think it’s good to have opinions about what Narnia’s really like–that’s what makes it so special–but at the same time, I think we should accept the movies as someone else’s interpretation of Narnia and enjoy it all the same.

Oh, and in response to the geek-discussion (I can say that because I AM a geek, and proud of it) above, regarding the merits of the duel scene in PC, I just had to say that I live within walking distance of a world-class museum of historical armaments where men and women often demonstrate the skills of hand combat with long-sword, broadsword, and any other kind of sword or dagger you might care to mention. They pay meticulous attention to historical accuracy because although they do it because they love it, they’re part of an educational and research project. They practice constantly, and are probably some of the most skilled in actual use of these weapons that you’ll find, short of time travel.

The thing is, the duel in PC was the first time (other than the duel scene between Ivanhoe and Brian de Bois-Guilbert in the A&E version of Ivanhoe) where I’ve seen sword-and-shield combat on film that came even close to looking anything like the very "real" combat demonstrations they give at this museum. The fisticuff nature of Peter and Miraz’ duel struck me as being amazingly natural and convincing. It’s still acting, but it looks a lot less like acting than the fight between Hector and Achilles ( and I really appreciated that fight, too.).

Aunt Letty, I’m here to geek out with you. My favorite part about the acting behind the duel is that William was shocked at how aggressive Sergio was in doing their own stunts. I think the quote William made was "But Adam, Sergio really is trying to kill me!" Stage combat association fodder: if it doesn’t look like you might get hurt then it isn’t real. Like you said, it’s still acting, but it was much more natural and organic of a fight compared to other staged or structured ones. It worked out well for Peter and Miraz in my opinion.

I think i must agree to disagree. I disliked the duel quite a bit. It isn’t the low point of the film, but it also isn’t the high point which it could have been. I will say again that them simply hacking at each other the entire time was uninteresting. I agree that some of the use of the shield was good and when Peter blocks with his vambraces is good, neither of which are sword play. I think Peter and Miraz both would have known how to use their swords, as they did in the book, and as someone who really likes PC the book i wish the duel could have been better.

thanks for your comment about the behind-the-scenes action. I didn’t know that, but it makes sense. I’ve been saying since the film came out that one of the things I loved about that duel was how Will Moselely really looked like a young man who has lost his cool in several of the shots. There were moments when the expression on his face looked a lot less like acting, and a lot more like what I’ve seen when my boys’ rough-housing got a bit out of hand. I do love a good sword fight scene…

Aunt Letty and tenthofthatname, I must say that you both pinpointed my feelings on the duel exactly. Decarus makes a good point, though, that they could have shown a bit more knowledge in swordsmanship. On the other hand, many of us these days only know of duels through movies, so what we percieve to be real and convincing may not be real at all. I think it’s cool that you’ve seen demonstrations of real duels, Aunt Letty. I think you’re very lucky in that aspect. I always felt that duels in movies were rather unrealistic in that they only used their swords and were always curteous to each other. I rather imagine several people breaking the rules of chivalry now and again to get advantage over their opponent, like when Peter turns to leave Miraz after punching his wounded leg and Miraz jumps at the opportunity to stab him in the back. Although, I must say that the Westley/Inigo Montoyez duel, as mentioned earlier, was also very realistic as well. I watched a behind the scenes feature for The Princess Bride, and the movie makers mentioned that they brought in a swords/fencing master to help them come up with the moves and the duel, and they tried to keep it as real as possible. That duel felt real to me, even though it was choreographed, because it was a fight between two masters of an art, neither of whom had any personal issue against the other. Peter and Miraz, however, are fighting each other for very personal reasons, and I think that’s what makes the fight become so up-close and personal, which is what made it feel real to me.

Ok, this has become just about the geekiest conversation I’ve ever had, but I still have to ask why some have said that it looked as though Peter and Miraz didn’t know how to use their swords? I’m curious what you saw that didn’t look right? What did I miss?

Everyone: do you think that we really should be using our comments here to make a discussion board? Should we be using the forum instead…? (Not that I have a problem personally… I just don’t want to make problems for the administrators.)

Yes, that’s why we’re all coming back to an old story again and again, as an excuse to write comments and give ourselves the feeling of being involved. It’s kind of funny how this comment area has turned into a discussion board…it’s almost like being in the forum without being a member. 😀 I like it.

Going back to scenes in the book that we liked and trying to stay in a good mood I loved all the scenes mentioned above (Eustace changing back from a dragon, Aslan at the end of the world) but the scene that really made me laugh was when Lucy was trying to explain to the Dufflepuds that she thought that they looked very nice ‘True for you chief she’s saying as how we used to look nice but there’s no denying we’re awful ugly now!’

Personally, I loved the Dufflepuds. While they were rather annoying, they also provided a lot of comic relief to the book. Besides, if you get rid of that island, you get rid of Lucy and the magician’s book and her scene with Aslan and the magician. A very beautiful and moving scene. To me, that part is almost the heart of the story, and it would completely kill the entire point of it if that were removed. Besides, I’m pretty sure they plan on doing that scene, considering that some of the earliest concept art was of Lucy in the magician’s house.

Well, sure they’re supposed to be annoying. That’s what makes Coriakin’s backstory so interesting. And his reply to Aslan’s question so poignant. Coriakin wouldn’t be half so interesting a character without the dufflepuds as a sort of foil. Besides, it’s fun to say; dufflepud. dufflepud. dufflepud…

*Laughs* Aunt Letty, you crack me up sometimes. Now when I’m bored, I’ll start saying "dufflepud" over and over. I like your point about how Coriakin’s character is backed up by the dufflepuds (dufflepud…dufflepud…). I’ve almost always been intrigued by his love for them, even though they ultimately drove them up the wall. Maybe it’s C.S. Lewis’s way of giving children a sneak peak into the life of parenthood? I really don’t think Coriakin would even be worth much as a character in the story if he didn’t portray how he had grown from his punishment. Even though he was being punished, it was almost as if he was beginning to enjoy his assignment. Perhaps there’s a lesson to learn from that?

I completely agree that they are supposed to be annoying and reading it is bearable, but somehow seeing it sounds extremely annoying. The thought of loud jumping agreeing crowds at least they will be invisible. I hope they don’t have some sort of invisible fight with them.

I think the most interesting thing about this island is when Lucy looks in the book and she listens to her friends and then Aslan comes and she asks if they would have gone on being good friends if she hadn’t listened and how Lucy had ruined that potential through listening and Aslan said no one is ever told what would have happened. Though they ruined that line in PC so i would think they will most likely ruin it in VotDT.

Everyone: do you think that we really should be using our comments here to make a discussion board? Should we be using the forum instead…? (Not that I have a problem personally… I just don’t want to make problems for the administrators.)

The only thing is, I’m not a member, so I can’t use the forum. I would be a member, except I’m afraid of getting too addicted to this and wasting so much more time here than I already am. :-S I’m glad we’re doing it here, but if it does cause problems, I’ll be happy to stop (okay, maybe not happy, but I’ll do it without complaint).

Oh dear, I hope this discussion here doesn’t turn out to be a troublesome thing for anyone. I hope we don’t get banished to the forums, because I just went and looked at some of the forums, just out of curiosity…and I much prefer the level of discourse happening here. Maybe I just picked the wrong ones to sample?

This is amazing…we have more than 400 comments on one story!! of course, the fact that there hasn’t been any news for forever (seems like) makes that plausible. But still…>400! that’s mind-boggling. You know, if everyone that’s ever commented on this site saw VDT once for every time they commented in theaters next year, I’d bet that we’d have Disney throwing a fit for turning down such a great (and money-making, since that’s pretty much all they care about)franchise. We,(the fans) and Fox will probably just laugh and then…drum roll please!! On to SC!! Wow, i’ve just painted the scenario that I’ve been dreaming about ever since PC 🙂

Nice concept, King Skandar. I know I certainly did my part to up the box office take on PC. I went back and saw it seven more times. In the first-run theater, not the cheapseat second run theater. And I don’t do that!

Wow, Aunt Letty. That’s dedication!! I’m planning to do something like that for VDT; I have a feeling its going to do well. Hopefully they’ll really make it a family movie and try to remind moviegoers of LWW in that sense. But yeah, kudos to Aunt Letty!! thats amazing

King Skandar, I love that! Too bad most of us can’t afford to see VDT as many times as we’ve commented…especially those of us who’ve contributed a good amount to just this discussion!

Aunt Letty, I’m still here! I haven’t been home all weekend, so I haven’t been on the internet, but I’ll talk to you (and all of us other Narnia nuts that keep coming back). I think the reason some of the conversations have died off is because most people don’t realize that we’re still going strong!

The pressure of trying to think of something good to discuss – what about Lucy’s character development in this book She has lots of learning experiences – ‘eavesdropping on her friend, resisting the beautifying spell, keeping faith that Aslan would save them from the island of dreams, leaving Narnia to grow closer to her own world…

Don’t get me started!! I love how Lewis understood the real meaning of character development and all that. Most people don’t realize that what they might do to satisfy their curiosity or such could actually be very harmful to others. Also, in this day and age, many people take what people say to heart, especially when they weren’t supposed to be hearing it and only heard part of it. A lot of relationships are ruined because one person hears only part of another person’s conversations. As Lucy learned, through her experience and Aslan’s gentle reprimand, we must not judge others by snippits of conversations we hear, and we should always give people the benefit of the doubt.

"But between them and the foot of the sky there was something so white on the green grass that even with their eagle eyes they could hardly look at it. They came on and saw it was a Lamb.
‘Come and have breakfast.’ said the Lamb in its milky sweet voice.
Then they noticed for the first time that there was a fire lit on the grass and fish roasting on it. They sat down and ate the fish, hungry now for the first time in days. And it was the most delicious food they had ever tasted."

I love this part sooo much. I love how Jack makes Aslan into the form of a lamb especially, symbolizing Christ the Sacrificial Lamb. And how they eat the fish! It’s directly from the Bible. Then later on:

"’It isn’t Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. ‘It’s you. We shan’t ever meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?’
‘But you shall meet me, dear one.’ said Aslan.
‘Are–are you there too, Sir?’ said Edmund.
‘I am.’ said Aslan. ‘But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.’"

Yes It explains what Peter said when it was his last time about it not being how he thought it was – we weren’t told at that point what Aslan had told him and Susan but the message is very clear here – it is a lovely scene – especially what Lucy says about it not being Narnia – i think thats what makes Lucy such a lovely character, her pure belief in Aslan – she never wavers even when trying to escape from the Island of dreams

Thanks for bringing this part up. I do so love that scene. If you think about it, Aslan’s statement succinctly delivers us Lewis’ purpose in telling these stories, doesn’t it? "the very reason you were brought to Narnia,…that you might know me better…"

I’m curious, if you don’t mind sharing, what was going on in your life when you discovered these books? How did you come by them, and what was your reaction to them? Did you read them all at once in one sitting, in place of homework, or maybe your grandpa read them to you over several summers?

Well, I remember in fourth or fifth grade being in school and watching the BBC LWW, and absolutely loving it. I also remember an acting group coming to our school and performing LWW using only two actors (that was pretty cool, I must admit). I don’t actually remember reading the books as a child…I do remember I actually didn’t like them at first, even though I absolutely loved the story, because Lewis’s writing style was difficult for me to understand, or because it was too simple or something. I can’t actually remember. Later, I found out that they were redoing the movie when I was at an indoor amusement park to play mini golf, and they had TVs playing different movie previews and stuff. My brother and I both loved the story (although we didn’t like how "primative" the original BBC series was–we’re big movie fans), so we decided to go see it. And thus began my Narnia craze. I loved the movie so much that I decided to reread the books…and couldn’t remember why I didn’t like them! I loved them so much and all of the christian symbolism and parallels that I just had to have the books. Although, the funny thing is, before I became a Narnia fan, I did an seventh grade book report on HHB, where I made it into a children’s book…so I’m not exactly sure what happened with the books. It’s a bit of a blur. I just didn’t come a complete fan of the books until I saw the first movie. Yet, now I’m a big fan of the books…anyways, however it came about, I’m here now!

Oh man oh man where do I begin?? Actually, the very first Narnia book I read was LB. I was pretty young, not really old enough to understand all the symbolism. But I remember really loving the part where Aslan brings them all to a new world where you’re always happy and content. Of course, that’s the part where CS Lewis mentioned all the old characters from the rest of the series, and so of course I read the rest pretty soon after that; one book per sitting, almost. I remember loving the characters, the language that Lewis wrote in, etc. Couldn’t put the books down. They all made sense and fit together, I don’t really know how to say it. But I’m sure other Narnia fans know what I mean:) Then I saw LWW a while later and LOVED it. Obviously. I really felt like it captured the theme that Lewis was trying to get at throughout the series.

Reading your comments took me right back to the weeks I spent reading these books for the first time. Oh, the magic of it!

I’d keep whichever one I was working on hidden in my pillowcase so my mom wouldn’t detect it when she tucked me in at night, then I’d take it out and read late into the night by the light of the streetlamp outside my window. For some reason, they just felt like books that had to be read like that.

The first time I ever heard these wonderful stories, my Dad read them to my brother and I, in published order, rather than chronological order. I loved the LWW and PC but at that point in time I found HHB and VDT boring and long-winded (I was 9). When I re-read them for myself at a more mature age I loved VDT and HHB and they are now my absolute favourites (I can almost recite the whole book from memory for both). I love all of them but for some reason those two stand out for me. I read them all at least 2-3 times per year (My faves 5-6 time per year) and I’m not joking!

I come from a church where the Narnia series is greatly promoted and loved. That along with my dad’s obsession of Lewis had me growing up on those books since I was old enough to understand 🙂 He read them to me and my siblings almost every night. We now own all the book-on-tapes and Radio Theatre CD’s, and movies as well. I LOVE NARNIA 😀

Gosh yes HHB would be so exciting in a film, with the race across the desert, the city of Tashban, King Lune meeing Shasta for the first time – it’d be great. It would also be great to see Edmund, Susan and Lucy back as grown ups in the middle of the golden age of Narnia

No kidding! HHB is not my absolute favorite (MN and LB are), but I love the storyline and being able to see what Narnia was like during the Golden Age, with the High King and his brother and sisters ruling and sailing and everything! It would be a magnificent film!

Except, if I remember right, the High King is conveniently off-stage for the entire book, fighting giants, or something (yet another example of an intriguing story only hinted at by our favorite author). So, no High King Peter in that one. Rats. But everyone else would be there, and even Tumnus would get to come back for a reprise.

No kidding! But at least we’ll get to see Edmund and Lucy in battle (and for Lucy, I have to say, FINALLY)! That’ll be very interesting to see. And I wonder how they’ll do Tumnus fourteen years older (doesn’t it say in the book something about how he was a little bit chubbier or something? Imagine, a chubby James McAvoy…not a pretty picture). I also want to see Queen Susan and her dealings with Tashbaan… 😉

Narnia4Ever: I meant it to imply the "too much info" meaning, just like you said. I just thought it funny that, since you all seem to be somewhat more (ahem!) youthful than myself, that anyone would ask the meaning of my slang. That’s all.

The only reason I know any netspeak/slang, whatever, is because I am now raising my fifth teenager. 🙂

Just guessing… for all I know, you could be 85, right? But, you don’t sound more than twenty-ish at most. Most of you don’t, anyway. When you’ve spent the past twenty five years of your life with kids, you kind of get an intuition.:)

And by the time they get around to making it, the actors will be pretty much the right ages…

And what an interesting directorial challenge; figuring out how to have a main character that happens to be a talking horse which can be taken seriously, and doesn’t in any way invite Mr. Ed comparisons. Whew. Better them than me…

An interesting thought. I never thought about that. But, yes, that would be very tough. The only talking horse we’ve seen in the movies was Phillip, and even then he was used for comic relief (although Edmund should NOT have been riding him in a time of peace…totally unNarnian-like). Like you said, Aunt Letty, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that.

Before I comment, please forgive I have not read any of the comments or replys on this subject it would take to long to do so. But I used to be huntisnarnia once ago, and I used to talk about this topic alot.

First of all I have not problem with them making changes of the book so that it make film-sense. The biggest example is a scene from the LOTR Fellowhsip. When Gimli asks Galadiel for one strand of hair from her golden head. That sounds great in a book, but try to visualize this clumzy dwarf trying to hold onto a piece of hair. Thats almost impossible to do on film. The same goes for the Nanria books, but their are certian things that just do not fit for a film. And that is the problem when you are making a film out of a book, especially a book that is very popular as this one is.
Now of all the books, this is the one that I would have a hard time letting go of anything. The book itself is almost perfect for a feauture film, except for one thing. The story lines keep changing in the book. The plot never changes the plot is simple "get to Aslans country" But along the way they run into these islands. And all of them have their own story-line. Now I do not understand why they have to the other books and "steal" certian ideas and plot lines for, that just makes know sense.

I usaully have not problem with the film-makers adding and subtracing to and from the books when they turn it into a film. But on this one I do not see why they would even have to do that. Its been a while since I last read the book, but I remember it very well, and their really is not anyting to add or take away from. Now Prince Caspian and the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe films I understand some of the changes (the books are quite boaring in my view they are and were my least two favorite) But Voyage is my third favorite behind the Horse and His Boy and the Last Battle.

The one island I can see them changing around is the island where what ever touches the water turns to gold. That one is a very intersting one. And I can see a little sword fight between Caspian and Edmund there, just to get some action in and some humor.

Yes I can’t see them resisting the temptation to have some kind of physical confrontation between Caspian and Edmund when there’s a verbal one in the book. I mean in PC there was no hint of a confrontation between Caspian and Peter in the book and yet they made it a major theme in the film. I imagine they’ll also add more drama to things like the slavers and the island of dreams (perhaps by making the things that they are dreaming of visible rather than having the sailors just talking about them)

I have to somewhat agree w/Skandar lover (even though I don’t…love Skandar….) Anyway, how else do you think that the directors and writers keep them from giving away vital info?? Sure they can think for themelves, but that doesn’t mean that they can talk for themselves!! I give actors plenty of credit Jill Pole….but they are restricted in their speaking like skandar lover.

I knew they would have to face this problem eventually. They are right, The Dawn Treader doesn’t really have a connected storyline. In fact, while the beginning is quite fascinating and humurous (Eustace) the 2nd half was a little boring. We should probably expect some somewhat big changes.